


Aftermath

by Jillybeanjoy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anniversary, Car Accident, First Date, Fluff, M/M, Whump, first I love you, police shoot out, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27388021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jillybeanjoy/pseuds/Jillybeanjoy
Summary: When Gavin and Nines are stuck in a bus in the middle of a shoot out they reminisce about their live together to keep Gavin awake.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 8
Kudos: 102
Collections: Reed900 Reverse Big Bang





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my artist Twitter handle @oliverreeve

The second the clock turned to five Gavin grabbed his jacket off of the back of his chair and put it on. Nines stood up from his desk across from him and was right there by his side waiting for him. Gavin grabbed his keys and threw them to Nines who caught them perfectly. “Alright, I’m out of here. See you later bitches!” Gavin said to the room at large. Connor shook his head at his desk while Hank waved him off. 

When they got to the parking lot Nines got on his motorcycle without a word and Gavin walked over to him. “Hey,” he tried, in an attempt to get Nines’ attention. 

Nines looked up at him unamused. “Yes?” 

Gavin groaned. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I wasn’t thinking when I chased that perp, I was just going on gut instinct.”

“Gavin… you could have gotten hurt. He had a knife. And if you would have gotten blood on that shirt it would have ruined the whole night.” 

Gavin gestured to his white button up. “But look! I didn’t! Not a hole, not a drop of blood. Night officially saved. Right?” 

Nines sighed and looked away. “Just, let me take on the dangerous perps next time, alright? I’m much more durable and much easier to fix than you.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. He wasn’t going to agree to that lightly. “I’m not fucking  _ fragile _ . Can we go to the restaurant? Save the day? We’ve got some celebrating to do.” Gavin walked closer to Nines, wrapping his arms around him. Nines didn’t reciprocate but didn’t push him away either as Gavin kissed Nines’ jaw. “Happy anniversary, love.”

“Happy anniversary. Now put on your helmet and let’s go.” 

Gavin grinned and grabbed the helmet as he got on the bike behind Nines. He then put on the helmet and wrapped his arms around Nines. 

Nines started the bike and kicked off, driving them through the city. Gavin preferred driving his car but Nines always wanted to take the bike. No matter what the weather, it didn’t bother him. Gavin didn’t dislike the bike, he just preferred his car. 

They sped through the city; Nines’ every turn, speed and movement calculated until they reached MacArthur Bridge. Nines started slowing down because he saw traffic was stopped ahead of them, already trying to figure out what was going on that meant it was at a standstill. There weren't any sports games in the vicinity, or concerts… he searched the Internet for possible car accidents or maybe…

With a loud bang the front tire of the motorcycle blew, sending rubber into Nines’ face. He swatted the pieces of tire away and tried to correct his driving so they wouldn’t crash, but then saw the 0% probability of that and changed his mission instead to protecting Gavin through the incident. 

Before he could do anything to really help, they landed on their side and Nines was left in the dust while Gavin was dragged under the bike. The right side of Nines’ face was all fucked to shit, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was Gavin. Where was Gavin? Was Gavin okay?

He stood up and ran over to the motorcycle, limping on the injured leg because, while it didn’t hurt, it was slightly malfunctioning along with his right arm. His entire right side was damaged. And if  _ he  _ was this damaged then  _ Gavin…  _

Another  _ bang!  _ rang out before Nines even got to the motorcycle. The noise before they crashed. That wasn’t the tire blowing randomly, the tire was shot. Those were gunshots. 

Nines tried to keep down as he went to the motorcycle and took in Gavin’s status. Gavin was stuck under the motorcycle, helmet still on so Nines couldn’t see his face. He knelt beside Gavin and lifted the visor of the helmet, afraid to take it off just yet. “Gavin!” He tried to keep his voice at a whisper but failed. Gavin’s eyes were closed tight as he groaned. “Gavin are you alright?”

Gavin didn’t open his eyes, but he turned his head to the side and was breathing heavily “Pretty sure I ruined the shirt,” he got out between huffs. He was very obviously in pain. 

Nines exhaled sharply. “I think I can forgive you for that just this once,” he assured. “Gavin. I need you to tell me where it hurts. What hurts?”

“My whole fucking body is kinda sore right now, babe,” he said through gritted teeth. “What happened?” More gunshots went off and Nines tensed instinctively. “Was that…?”

“Gavin, focus. One thing at a time. Does your neck hurt? Any neck pain at all?” He couldn’t take off Gavin’s helmet or move him until he was sure the human didn’t have a spinal injury. 

“No, it’s mostly chest down.” He looked down at himself, and to the motorcycle on top of him. “Do you think you can get this thing off of me? It  _ really _ fucking hurts like a bitch.” 

“I know I can, it’s a question if I should. Let me look you over.” Nines checked every inch of Gavin, ignoring the gunshots that went off to solely focus on Gavin. He needed to get Gavin somewhere safe, but he had to be careful with Gavin so injured. 

“Nines, seriously, are those gunshots?” Gavin asked, unsure if he was imagining things.

Nines connected to the police scanner. “A cruiser was chasing a suspect, they got caught in the traffic and he decided to start a shoot out,” he told Gavin. “You let them take care of him. I’m going to take care of you.” Once he was sure that taking the bike off wouldn’t cause Gavin to bleed out he said, “I’m gonna get the bike off of you now, okay? Then listen to me. We need to get away from the gun fire, so I’m going to carry you out of harm’s way okay? We can see if you can stand on your own after.” 

It was a shot to Gavin’s pride but he could see where Nines was coming from, so he nodded. 

Nines waited, counting bullets, and when the gunfire stopped so the perps could reload he picked the bike up off Gavin and pushed it aside. Most of the damage was waist down, with Gavin’s pants ripped and blood soaked already. Though his shirt was also ripped there wasn’t nearly as much blood there. 

After counting slowly to thee Nines grabbed Gavin in a bridal carry, Gavin’s leg dangling uselessly. Nines scanned the bridge for somewhere safe they could go and saw an empty bus with just the driver cowering inside. He ran over to it with Gavin and kicked on the door. “Open up!”

The driver looked between them and the window, seemingly deciding if it was safe - if this was somehow a trap. Once he got a good look at Gavin, covered in blood and clothes torn, he pulled the lever to let them onto the bus. 

Nines ran into the bus as the shooting restarted. He set Gavin down on the floor to keep him away from the windows. Gavin was looking pale; Nines held his face and forced him to make eye contact. “Gavin, look at me. It’s very important that you stay awake, okay?”

Gavin wiggled out of his grip. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” He looked Nines up and down as the android took off his tie to make a tourniquet around Gavin’s leg, just now realizing Nines was damaged. “Terminator, you don’t look so hot.”

“ _ I’m  _ fine. All the parts that are damaged can be easily replaced. I’m more worried about you.” He scanned Gavin’s whole body, looking for every injury, everything that could be hurting him or dangerous to him. “You’ve lost a lot of blood,” he said as he pulled his jacket off and put it around Gavin’s shoulders. 

“Who needs blood? Not me.”

Nines lets out a breathy laugh. “Yes, you do.” Before he could say any more the bus was hit with a stray bullet. Thankfully it embedded itself in the side and didn’t go through, but it was enough to remind them of the very real danger they were in. Nines cupped Gavin’s cheek with his full operational hand. “You’re going to be okay, though, alright? They’ll get the perps one way or another, and an ambulance will be on its way. I’ve already let the 911 operator know to send an extra for you.” 

“Thanks, Tin Can.” Gavin said distantly.

Nines lightly slapped Gavin’s face to keep him awake and focused. “Thank me when you’ve survived this.” His voice changed to Gavin’s. “I’m not fucking  _ fragile, _ ” he quoted, then went back to his own voice. “This is why I have anxiety.” 

“No, no, no. You have anxiety because CyberLife put you on one hundred percent combat mode at all times. That’s not  _ my _ fault,” Gavin coughed and had to pause a moment while he caught his breath. 

“Hey, hey now,” Nines chastised gently. “None of that. Don’t you go coughing up blood on me.”

Gavin sighed. “No promises.” They sat for a moment as they heard the police use their megaphones to call out to the perps. The standard “You have nowhere else to run,” “Come out with your hands above your heads,” trying to get them to give up sort of thing. Gavin looked to Nines. “Shitty luck, isn’t it? You know this is why we can’t have nice things.”

“We can’t have nice things because your cat would break it,” Nines reminded him.

“You love her. Don’t try to pretend like she’s not yours too.” They had gotten the cat together after Gavin’s previous one passed away a few months into their relationship. Nines wasn’t much of a pet person but Gavin’s always had a cat or two his whole life. 

Nines took the opportunity to keep Gavin talking. Anything to keep him awake. “Do you remember when we got her?” 

_ ————— _

_ Gavin had been in a bad mood all week. His cat, Bastard, had died and he hadn’t been himself since it happened. Nines tried to cheer him up, but nothing he did was working. That’s when he got an idea. After work, Nines and Gavin were walking to the car and Nines swiftly grabbed the car keys out of Gavin’s hands. _

_ “Hey!” Gavin complained. _

_ “I’m driving tonight.” Nines said simply. _

_ “Why can’t I drive? It’s my car. If you wanted to drive you should have brought your bike.” Gavin pouted.  _

_ “Because we’re going somewhere, and I want it to be a surprise.” Nines told him. _

_ Gavin mumbled to himself but grudgingly went to the passenger side of the car. Nines drove in silence while Gavin pouted, his arms crossed. “Where are we going anyway?”  _

_ “If I told you, it would ruin the surprise.” He pointed out.  _

_ “Come on, Nines, I’m not in the mood for surprises. I just want to go home.”  _

_ “I promise, there is an eighty seven percent chance you will love this surprise.”  _

_ Gavin sighed but didn’t say anything more. Eventually they reached their destination and Nines parked on the side of the road. When they both got out of the car, Nines indicated to the business they were headed to. A cat cafe. “Nines, I’m not ready for another cat.” Gavin told him.  _

_ “You don’t need to get another cat, but I think you would like this cafe. Spend some time with cats without taking them home with you. And they have vegan options as well.” Nines tempted.  _

_ Gavin sighed. “Okay, I guess,” he said and walked into the cafe.  _

_ It was a warm cafe, with two orange walls and two red walls. All the tables and chairs were a dark wood and there was a small counter where you could order what you wanted. There were cat trees and toys scattered around, with cats of every type and color roaming around. Gavin and Nines walked up to the counter and Gavin ordered his premium roast coffee and a vegan muffin. Once they got his order they sat at a table near the window.  _

_ Gavin began eating, looking around at all the cats around him when one of them wandered over to them. It was a darker brown cat, a little on the thicker side. The cat leaned up against Nines’ leg before walking over to Gavin and sitting in front of him, demanding pets. Gavin couldn’t help but smile, and he reached down and pet the cat. “Hello to you too,” he greeted.  _

_ He pet her for a moment before looking at the tag on the cat’s collar. “What’s their name?” Nines asked.  _

_ “Espresso,” Gavin scoffed. _

_ “Fitting for the place,” Nines commented. “How the muffin and coffee?” _

_ “Muffin’s okay. The coffee is great though.” Gavin picked up Espresso and held the cat like a baby and started rubbing her belly.  _

_ They sat there for about an hour, just talking and enjoying the company of the cats, though Espresso never went far, others came and visited as well. When they left and got back in the car, with Gavin driving this time, Nines asked, “So did you enjoy it?” _

_ “Yeah, I actually liked it,” Gavin admitted. “I think I may come back again.”  _

_ “Good, I’m glad,” Nines said with a smile. _

_ And they came back once or twice a week for the next month. And every time they visited Gavin would get a premium roast coffee and a muffin, and they would play with the cats. Espresso always came over and visited, every time. After a month of going Gavin looked at Nines and said, “You know, I think I might be ready for another cat.” _

_ “Oh yeah? Well you can adopt straight from the cafe. Is there one from here that you would want?” Nines asked.  _

_ “I think Espresso is my favorite.”  _

_ “Espresso it is then.” So they went to the counter and filled out the paperwork and paid to take Espresso home. Once she was home she took to the place immediately, making it her own.  _

_ ————— _

“God, we had just moved in together hadn’t we? It feels like a lifetime ago.” Gavin leaned his head back against the seat behind him and closed his eyes. 

Nines nudged him, needing him awake. “It was only two years ago. Two years eight months and twelve days.”

Gavin picked his head back up and snorted. “Yeah, okay, but it  _ feels  _ like longer.” 

Nines lightly chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it.” The shooting had slowed down so Nines rose slightly to look out the window. There was someone from the cop side walking towards the perps with their arms raised. A negotiator. They got within a few yards of them before the negotiator must have done or said something they didn’t like as they shot them dead.

Nines sat back down next to Gavin. “What’s going on?” Gavin asked.

“Shooting’s slowed down but it’s not over. And it’s not looking good. How are you feeling?” He tried to change the subject.

“A little light headed but fine,” Gavin said, waving Nines off. He was beginning to look pale, which was worrying given his blood loss. 

Nines bit the inside of his cheek. “Wait here. Don’t move,” he told him, then, in a crouching position, moved to the back of the bus. He looked through the windows, trying to catch sight of an ambulance. They should be here by now, just most likely keeping their distance for the safety of the paramedics and EMTs.

With his pre construction software he mapped out thirteen possible routes that Nines could carry Gavin off the bus and towards help. Hopefully without getting shot. But the highest probability of success in any of the routes was thirty percent. That was seventy percent chance of losing Gavin.

He couldn’t lose Gavin. He couldn’t. So they were going to have to wait for help to come to them. Nines went back to Gavin at the front of the bus, keeping his head below the windows. 

“What did you see?” Gavin asked when he got back. Nines didn’t answer, his LED spinning red still. So Gavin changed the subject. “You know I think this still might only be the second worst date we’ve had. Do you remember our first date?”

Nines gave a weak smile. “I thought you liked our first date.”

_ ————— _

_ The two had danced around each other for months. It was clear to everyone but each other that they had feelings for each other but neither was willing to take the first step. To take the risk of upsetting their partnership to see if there could be more. Until, finally, Nines asked Gavin out on a date.  _

_ Gavin has been more nervous then he would ever admit. He changed his outfit three times before settling on a long sleeved green shirt and his leather jacket. Gavin had waited outside for Nines to pick him up on his new motorcycle. When Nines showed up Gavin had to swallow down his nerves. “So what’s the plan, Tin Can?” he asked with a lazy smirk.  _

_ “You’ll have to wait and see. Get on.” He handed Gavin a helmet and Gavin put it on and got on the bike behind him.  _

_ They drove out of the city and to a small park on the outskirts of Detroit. When Nines parked Gavin got off the bike and looked around him. “Gotta admit, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”  _

_ Nines cocked his head to the side. “What were you expecting?” _

_ “I don’t know, going to the movies or a bar or something.” Gavin said looking at his feet. “What’s the plan here?”  _

_ Nines held out his hand and Gavin rolled his eyes but took it as Nines led them to a small picnic area with a couple of food trucks nearby. “Would you like tacos or some American classics like hamburgers and hotdogs?” _

_ Gavin scoffed. “Fuck America, I’m getting tacos.”  _

_ Nines smiled and after Gavin purchased his food they sat at a picnic table. Nines kept his eyes on the tree line while Gavin ate, quiet.  _

_ “So, what’s so special about this area? There are a lot of taco trucks closer so I’m guessing it wasn’t the food.” _

_ Nines smiled at that. “I heard dates were supposed to be about shared interests,” he said, very proud of himself. “The internet agrees that this is the best spot in Detroit for bird watching.” _

_ That stopped Gavin’s brain for a moment. “Bird watching?” he repeated slowly.  _

_ “Yes. If we’re lucky we might even see a Trumpeter Swan,” Nines told him, then Gavin burst out laughing, causing Nines’ face to fall. “What’s funny?” _

_ “We’re bird watching for our first date?” he asked.  _

_ “I thought it was a shared interest.” Nines was suddenly very unsure of himself.  _

_ Gavin stopped himself when he saw Nines’ reaction. “Alright.” He readjusted himself, trying to look like he was on the edge of his seat. “Let’s watch some birds.” He couldn’t keep the laugh out of his voice though.  _

_ Nines stood up and grabbed Gavin’s helmet, handing it to him. “Let’s just go home.”  _

_ “Fuck no. You said ‘shared interest’ right? Which means you’re into this. Bird watching or whatever. I’m warning you now I’m going to suck, I’ll probably stick to just counting them, not identifying them or anything but if you’re into this then we’re going to fucking watch some birds.”  _

_ “I thought you would enjoy this too.” Nines didn’t look at him.  _

_ “Who knows? I’ve never bird watched before. Maybe I’ll enjoy it.” Gavin doubted it, it was too much like a stake out without the chance of a chase, but if this is what Nines wanted to do on their first date… fuck it, he was going to try.  _

_ “You’re a bad liar.” _

_ “No you’re just a walking lie detector.” Gavin stood up and purposely put himself in front of Nines so he couldn’t look away. “Nines. Do  _ _ you  _ _ want to bird watch with me?”  _

_ Nines nodded hesitantly.  _

_ “Then we’re going to fucking bird watch. You tell me what a bird is and I’ll keep track of what we see on my phone. Deal?” Nines didn’t answer so Gavin shook his head. “Just tell me one thing, what made you think I was into bird watching?” _

_ “You told me a story about a pet parakeet you had as a child. I thought you liked birds.”  _

_ That made Gavin laugh even more. “I liked that parakeet because it shit in my sister’s hair and she hated it.” He shook his head. “Why do you like birds?”  _

_ Nines’ face turned a slight shade of blue. “Because I thought you liked them.” _

_ ————— _

“I realize now that it was a miracle we ever had a second date,” Nines sighed. 

Gavin shook his head. “Not a miracle. Even then I was in too deep to let you go just yet.”

“I don’t know, for most of our relationship I was always one step ahead of you, ready to jump before you were. Well, almost always.” He amends. “I do distinctly remember you being ahead of me when you said ‘I love you’ first.” 

_ ————— _

_ It had been an ordinary day. Gavin and Nines has just finished a case and were going home to celebrate with pizza and a movie. Gavin was driving with one hand on the wheel, leaning back, relaxed and listening to Nines talk about the bird he saw when he was out with Connor and Sumo at the park. _

_ “I wish you could have seen it, Gavin. It was a Melanitta perspicillata. A surf scoter. It’s an almost entirely black sea duck but their bill has these very distinct markings on them…” _

_ And the more Nines talked, the more Gavin’s thoughts drifted. He was focused less on the conversation and more on Nines himself. How much he had grown from when Gavin first met him.  _

_ How he went from being so robotic to becoming more and more human like. He used to only move when necessary, to walk, or pick up something and would be completely still when he talked or interfaced with a computer. But talking now he was animated and using his hands.  _

_ And he slowly has figured out the things he liked and disliked. He loved their cat Espresso even though he tried to pretend he didn’t. He liked going for walks no matter what the weather was like outside. He liked his job and Connor and Hank. He liked deep colors and reading paperback books. He likes calling Gavin darling and when Gavin calls him babe. _

_ He didn’t like loud noises, or surprises because his combat protocols would take over if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t like when Gavin smoked and was the main reason he was trying to quit. He didn’t like putting things in his mouth to sample them. He didn’t like wearing anything that showed too much skin, always opting for long sleeves and turtlenecks.  _

_ And Gavin went back and forth between watching him and watching the road. And he enjoyed what he saw. Nines had become his own person in the time that he’s known him. He’s come into his own. He knows who he is and who he isn’t.  _

_ He’s smart. Sharp witted. Is able to deal back any shit he gets. He’s dedicated to helping others. He’s loyal and funny and kind and…  _

_ “I love you.” Gavin said it under his breath, almost like a sigh. Then he froze as he realized he just said it out loud. I love you. He said it out loud and they never said that to each other before. This  _ meant _ something. This was a big deal. Holy shit, what had he done? _

_ He can’t look at Nines. Doesn’t take his eyes off the road. Just stared straight ahead. There’s no way Nines didn’t hear it. He’s a fucking terminator. But why isn’t he saying anything? _

_ Gavin chanced a glance in Nines’ direction. He’s looking straight ahead with a look of surprise on his face and out of the reflection of the car window Gavin can see that his LED is bright red.  _

_ Oh shit. He’d done it now. He broke his boyfriend. He shouldn’t have said it, shouldn’t have said it so soon, so fast, it was too fast, maybe if he just… _

_ “Do you mean it?” Nines’ voice was unreadable. Gavin had no idea what he was thinking.  _

_ “You know what? Forget I said anything. I’m sorry I interrupted you. You were talking. Go ahead and finish what you were saying,” Gavin rambled. _

_ “Did you mean it?” Nines looked at him this time. His eyes never leaving Gavin’s face.  _

_ “I… I mean yeah but it’s cool if you…”  _

_ “I love you too.” Nines said with a smile and looked back out the front window.  _

_ Gavin looked back and forth between the road and Nines. “You don’t have to say it back.”  _

_ “I know. But I mean it too,” Nines assured him. _

_ “Alright, alright now tell me the rest about this surf scooter.” _

_ “Surf  _ _ scoter _ .”  _ Nines corrected.  _

_ ————— _

“I still do. Love you,” Gavin said quietly and leaned his head on Nines’ shoulder, closing his eyes. 

Nines sighed and looked out the window. There hadn’t been any gunshots in four minutes and forty nine seconds. Had they run out of bullets? He didn’t know how many the perps had and how many they shot before they got there. 

Nines looked back to Gavin, whose eyes were still closed. He nudged him, trying to rouse him. “Hey, darling, wake up. You can’t fall asleep on me, okay?” 

Gavin groaned but didn’t open his eyes. 

“Seriously, Gavin, wake up.” Nines turned to face him and shook his shoulder. Gavin squinted his eyes but didn’t open them. “Gavin!” 

Gavin needed to wake up. If he fell asleep he could not wake up again. He just needed to stay awake until they got help. Where was help? Why wasn’t anyone here yet? Nines’ mind raced as he looked around himself. He needed to wake Gavin up. He needed to get help. He needed to keep Gavin alive. 

Nines pulled Gavin until he was laying flat on the floor then kneeled over top of him. He put his fist right against Gavin’s sternum and started grinding his fist into his sternum, performing a sternum rub. 

It should have woken up Gavin. 

It didn’t. 

In the bottom corner of his HUD Gavin’s chances of survival started to drop as he didn’t wake up. 

Nines pulled him into his arms and went to walk off the bus. The bus driver stopped him with a hand and reminded him “It’s not safe to go out yet.”

Nines looked between Gavin and the bus driver. “He needs medical attention. Now.” And he continued off the bus. 

Once he was out of the safety of the bus, his pre construction software booted up, mapping out several routes to the ambulances waiting outside the shooting range. 

Nines played out each route in his head, making sure that his body shielded as much of Gavin as possible the entire way. He watched the probability of Gavin getting hit in each one, before he took a deep breath that he didn’t need, and raced away from the bus into the cover of the next car. 

Once covered by the car he looked down at Gavin unconscious in his arms and sprinted to the next point. Nines was careful to time each second he was out in the open and making sure there was always something between the perps and Gavin, even if it was just his body. 

Nines almost made it the whole way when a gunshot rang out and he was hit in the back. Warnings flashed in his HUD but he kept pressing on until he was out of range and made it to the ambulance, where medics grabbed Gavin out of his arms and technicians started looking Nines over. He waved them off and followed where they were taking Gavin. 

“His blood type is A negative,” Nines told them desperately. Still hands were trying to pull him away. Why were they trying to pull him away? “He’s been unconscious for nine minutes and thirty four seconds,” he tried to tell them. They were still taking him away. “He’s allergic to penicillin!” 

Gavin was taken out of Nines’ view and he could have sworn his whole system shut down the moment he couldn’t see Gavin anymore. He needed to make sure Gavin was alright. Gavin has to be alright. He had to make it through this. Why did humans have to be so fragile? 

A technician managed to pull Nines into another ambulance and started working on repairing him. Nines just stared blankly, not moving, while the technician worked on him, a ring box heavy in his pants pocket. 

—————

Eleven hours, seventeen minutes and fifty seconds. By the time they let Nines see Gavin again it had been eleven hours, seventeen minutes and fifty seconds since they last been together. Eleven hours, seventeen minutes and fifty seconds that Nines has been going insane with worry. 

Even once he was in the same room as him again, Nines still sat there by Gavin’s bedside and worried. He looked so small and brittle. Nines was reminded again that, in all probability, he was going to outlive the love of his life. Even if you take their job out of the equation, which was dangerous enough to cause him great anxiety, Gavin would one day grow old and die. And as long as Nines continued to replace parts as they grew outdated he would remain. Without Gavin. 

Luckily before Nines could spiral too much, Gavin started to rouse. Nines ran a hand through Gavin’s hair as he winced and opened his eyes. “Hello, darling,” he whispered. 

“Hey, babe,” Gavin groaned out. Relief flooded through Nines at hearing his voice. He was here. He was safe. For right now he wouldn’t lose him. “You think we can still make our reservation?” 

Nines laughed weakly. “I’m pretty sure we already missed it, sweetie. You’ve been out for a while.” 

“Ah, shit.” 

“We can get another reservation,” Nines assured him, cupping Gavin’s cheek with his hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Thirsty,” Gavin admitted. Nines grabbed a cup of water from Gavin’s bedside and Gavin drank from it. He looked at Nines after and put the drink down. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

Nines shook his head. “I almost lost you,” he said with slight static in his voice. “I could have lost you and I don’t know…”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Gavin shushed. “I’m right here. I’m fine. A little worse for wear but I’m not going anywhere, babe.” 

Except he was. Maybe not now, hopefully not for years, but eventually Gavin would die and Nines would be left alone. He had to make the most of the time he had with Gavin. He had to… “Marry me.”

Gavin startled. “Nines. I’m  _ fine _ . I’m not terminal or something, there’s no reason to make rash decisions.”

Nines pulled the ring out of his pocket. “It’s not a rash decision. I was going to ask you when we got to the restaurant. But… I can’t wait for the perfect time. I want to spend the rest of our lives with you. I want to be your husband and I want you to be mine. Marry me.” 

It was still surprising, Gavin’s head was spinning. Of course he wanted to marry Nines but it still felt like he was rushing, like he wasn’t thinking it through. He had to ask, “Nines, do you mean this? Really?”

“I mean it with all that I am.”

Gavin smiled. “Okay, then. Then I mean it too.” 

Nines pulled Gavin in close and kissed him. He said yes. He said yes. He said yes. And he couldn’t wait to start their lives out, together. 


End file.
